JoS/Halvor/1st Journal - A Letter From a Friend
Last Seed, 19th, 4E 201
As of late, I've been keeping to myself. After months of adventuring through Tamriel, it's been nice to take it easy for a while. I've spent the last few weeks furnishing Hjerim, my new home in Windhelm. Now that I've hung some of my favorite trophies from my travels, it's actually starting to feel like home. It's crazy to think I've owned the place for almost a year now. Of course, I've been gone most of that time. Save for the occasional night or two when I pass through town, I haven't been living here at all. I've had to force myself to slow down a bit, but a little R&R is just what I've needed. After my latest trip to Morrowind proved a little crazier than I expected, relaxing back home has been nice.
It seems my time to relax has come to an end, though. This morning, a courier stopped by with a letter from Jarl Balrguuf. It didn't say much, only that he needs my help with something and that it's urgent. I really could use a little more time to finish getting things settled here. With rumors of a dragon destroying Helgen and the civil war heating up, it doesn't sound like the best time to be running around Skyrim alone either. But if there's one thing I have never been good at, it's saying no to a friend. Jarl of Whiterun or not, I can't bring myself to turn him down. My steward can hold down the fort here while I'm gone and with any luck, I'll be back before too long. Whiterun isn't all that far anyways. It's not like I'm planning to leave Skyrim this time.
My day was spent making arrangements and packing my bags once again. I sent word to Ulundil, the dark elf who runs the stables to make sure my horse is ready. My steward went to the market to buy food I'll need for the road. Tomorrow morning, I'll be heading out at first light.
Last Seed, 21st, 4E 201
I made it safely to Whiterun and spoke to Jarl Balgruuf at Dragonsreach today. The threat of the dragon's return seems more real to me now. I've never seen the Jarl so concerned before. He's especially worried about the town, Riverwood. Since it was so close to Helgen and doesn't have a wall, it would certainly be an easy target. He was really happy about the bottle of Shein I brought him, though. Balgruuf was one of my best customers of the stuff when I used to run supplies from Morrowind. He was disappointed when I sold the shipping line, but I still send him a bottle from time to time when I get the chance. Of course, a good bottle of Shein is pretty hard to find and doesn't come cheap after the eruption of the Red Mountain. But I still know a few places where I can get my hands on some.
Now about that thing the Jarl needed. His court wizard has been looking into the return of the dragons and needs someone to take a trip to the ruin called Bleak Falls Barrow. He needs me to retrieve some stone that may not even be there. Apparently this thing is supposed to be a map of ancient dragon burial sights. His hope is that it will give him some clue as to the meaning behind their return. He was a little sparse on the details, but the Jarl had gotten me to come all the way out here. I'm not saying no at this point. It's not really the sort of thing I'd normally do, but that's what I get for offering to help the Jarl with some bandits once upon a time. Now it seems I'm his favorite person to call on when he needs someone to get their hands dirty. If it where anyone else, I'd probably turn them down.
The Jarl was nice enough to offer me a place to stay in Dragonsreach. I told him I was just fine at the Bannered Mare, but he insisted. I must admit it's a great improvement over sleeping in a noisy inn and trying to drown out drunken rabble all night, even though I've had to listen to Jarl Balgruuf's kids complaining all evening. I also may have picked up another job I didn't want—kind of. His daughter, Dagny was going on about a new dress that was supposed to come from Solitude, but got held up due to the war. I told her I would be happy to get it for her if I end up in Solitude. She was really happy about it and gave me a big hug when I told her. I reiterated that I didn't know if or when I would be in Solitude, but I get the feeling she ignored that part the second time, too. Now I know Jarl Balgruuf won't really care either way, but I'm sure he's probably beyond sick of hearing the girl complain about it.
The good news is that it sounds like this business at Bleak Falls Barrow won't take long. Soon enough, I'll be back home and who knows, maybe I'll find a new ancient Nord artifact for one of my empty display cases.
Last Seed, 22nd, 4E 201
There’s a good reason I try my hardest to avoid ancient Nordic crypts. Delving deep into Bleak Falls Barrow isn’t my idea of fun. Sure, there were bandits. I’m used to that. But when the dead start walking, that’s where I usually draw the line. Those damn Drauger things give me nightmares. I’ll take 100 pirate ships from back in my shipping days over a cave full of those things. But today, that's exactly what I did. I had to make my way through an entire damn tomb of those fuckers. But the good news is that not only did I make it out alive, I managed to find the Dragonstone thing that Balgruuf’s wizard wanted. It was quite the journey, so even though it’s a quick trip to get back to Whiterun, I’m spending the night in Riverwood at the Inn here. I don’t know if I could really deal with hearing Balgruuf’s kids whine right now anyways. Not to mention, I’m honestly a little more drunk than I would care to be staying with the Jarl. So I’ll head back to Whiterun in the morning to deliver the stone.
Last Seed, 23rd, 4E 201
If there was any doubt in my mind that dragons have returned, it’s gone after today. Not only did I see a dragon, but I faced one in battle. Since you’re reading this words, you know too, that I live to tell the tale.
I woke up early this morning to make the short trek back to Whiterun. Not long after I arrived at Dragonsreach and met with Balgruuf’s wizard to give him the Dragonstone he’d asked for, did we get the news. A dragon was attacking the Western Watchtower. Balgruuf ordered his city guards to head there to fight the dragon and asked me to join them.
I made my way out of the city as fast as I could, Irileth, Balgruuf’s personal steward was close in toe along with the guards she was commanding. We could see smoke from off in the distance, surely evidence that it had been attacked. When we arrived, it seemed for a moment that we’d missed the dragon, it was nowhere in sight. Moments later, I heard a screeching roar from off in the distance. I looked up to the skies and to see the form of a creature flying rapidly through the air. At first glance, it could have been an eagle. But as it grew nearer, it was clear that it was far too big—too fast to be anything but a dragon. I barely had time to draw my bow before it flew down and began breathing fire, burning two of the guards alive in seconds. A few yards away, I could feel the heat from where I was standing. I knocked my first arrow into my bow and began firing as fast as I could. It was so big, my arrows seemed as though they would be nearly useless against such a great beast. Before I had a chance to test just how effective my arrows would be, the dragon flew up into the sky and began circling the tower from up high.
In the midst of the chaos, I heard high pitched screams coming from the west. With a moment of reprieve while the dragon was in the air, I turned around to see a woman and what I assumed was her young daughter some distance from the watchtower. I started in their direction, hoping the dragon wouldn't follow. As I got closer, I recognized them from the market in Whiterun. Indeed, the woman Carlotta had left the city to fetch her latest shipment. She later told me the carriage carrying fruits and vegetables from the south had broken down and they had gone to meet it. This was undoubtedly a bad day for such an incident. Both mother and daughter looked terrified as you might expect.
Thinking quickly, I escorted both of them to the watchtower and ushered them inside where they would hopefully be safe. From that point on, I had made it my duty to protect the two of them the best I could. I continued firing arrows at the dragon from the door to the tower. It felt like hours of trying to pierce the beast with our steel before it would fly off again, only to return with what seemed like more breaths of fire than before. In reality, it was probably only a few minutes before we took the dragon down. Even now the idea seems impossible. It was surely the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but we did it. Iraleth had much the same reaction that I did about the whole thing. It was proof that dragons can be killed. What happened next though, was nearly as incredible as the feat we’d just accomplished.
When the dragon was dead, we all took our turns examining the corpse of the giant beast. It's not like you get to see a dead dragon every day. Sure enough, Carlotta and her daughter had their turn as well. When Camilla’s daughter got closer, the corpse seemed to catch fire. I was alarmed at first, but it suddenly looked as though the girl was absorbing the dragon in some way. The look on her face told me she was just as confused as I was. Meanwhile, Carlotta looked to be trying to protect her daughter, fearing that it was something sinister.
Once it was over, all was calm and the dragon carcass before us was nothing but bone. It's skin had burned up and evaporated. Even though it had been a formidable enemy just moments ago, it suddenly looked to be nothing more than an aging skeleton. And it seemed that this girl had caused it somehow. That was when one of the guards came up and said that she must be a Dragonborn. I have of course heard the stories and songs that have prevailed through Skyrim throughout the years of the Dragonborn. The one true slayer of dragons who can absorb their souls. But I hardly thought it was even true, much less think that I'd ever witness it. There was some argument about what it all meant, but alas, our duty was done and it was time to return to the city.
When we got back to Whiterun, we heard a strange sound coming from the sky. I wasn’t sure what it was. After what we’d just been though, my first reaction was to look to the skies to find another dragon, but there wasn’t one. It was Balgruuf who had the answer when we returned to Dragonsreach. It was the call of the greybeards, calling a Dragonborn to High Hrothgar.
When we relayed the events to Jarl Balgruuf, he confirmed that the girl could indeed be a dragonborn. The Jarl’s steward, Proventus was less than convinced, though. I swear I don’t know what the Jarl sees in that man. He is an absolute idiot. Maybe the Jarl likes keeping someone around who questions him with different perspectives, but I’d think he’d prefer someone at least a bit more level-headed. I mean, goodness the man is a complete f
At any rate, it’s clear The Greybeards did call the Dragonborn. The big question is what do we do about it? It’s not like the child can make it all be herself. Her mother is certainly no soldier and wouldn’t last a day out in the wild without getting raped by bandits or worse. Not to mention, the war complicates things quite a bit. Iraleth, suggested she might go with the girl, but Balgruuf wouldn’t hear it. He needed her close by in case more dragons attacked or the war required her presence. She conceded that her duty was to Whiterun and the Jarl.
That leaves the only person who can be trusted and has plenty of extra time on his hands to take on such a task—-me. Now I haven’t formally accepted or anything. But I don’t see many other options. It’s said that the dragons mean the end times are near. It’s said they are supposed to bring on the evils that end the world. If that is true, how can I refuse? The Jarl and his court will be revisiting the matter tomorrow morning. It’s too soon to know for sure, but it sounds like this won’t be a short trip for me after all.
Last Seed, 24th, 4E 201
This morning, the Jarl called us to the North wing of Dragonsreach so we could sit down and reach an agreement about what to do about the girl. Iraleth and the court wizard were were both in attendance, as well as the girl’s mother, Carlotta.
I was a bit dismayed that Proventus was there, too. In perfect form, the first thing out of his mouth was that the graybeards must have made a mistake and that there was surely no way a little girl could be called to High Hrothgar. It’s as if the dozen eyewitness accounts of what appeared to be the girl absorbing a dragon’s soul meant nothing to him. Balgruuf was about to bring him to heal, but I beat him to it.
I was diplomatic about it, but proceeded to nearly insult the man for his ignorance. Surely those of us that were there could tell that some kind of strange magic was at play. If anyone can tell us what is going on, the graybeards can. And if the dragons really do bring on the end of times as the legends say, then this child may be our only hope.
Balgruuf quickly backed me up and restated what we were really there for. The fact is, no one can be spared to travel with the girl. The city guard is stretched to its limit, defending Whiterun and Riverwood in the event of a dragon attack. Many more able warriors are off fighting with the Stormcloaks or the Imperials. This is no job for any common mercenary, either. It’s not as simple as clearing out a dozen bandits from their hideout.
I brought up The Companions. They’d have plenty of swords to lend to the cause and could easily send three or four fighters to help the girl on her journey. I figured it would be the perfect arrangement. But the fact they didn’t even bother helping with the dragon attack didn’t bode well for them. Carlotta spoke up at my suggestion and said she didn’t like the idea of her only daughter traveling with werewolves. Yeah, she’d heard the rumors. Balgruuf said he didn’t blame her.
That left it back where we’d ended things yesterday. After I’d defended the two of them during the dragon attack, I’d apparently earned Carlotta’s trust. She understood how important this mission was for Skyrim and all of Tamriel, and wanted me to accompany and defend her daughter. She hated the idea of her daughter leaving with a stranger to face the wilds of Skyrim, but she knew it had to be done and said she would feel better about it all if she knew I was there to help her daughter. How could I say no to that?
I finally conceded at that and agreed to go. I did have one condition, though. Carlotta’s daughter, Mila had to approve. Up until that point, we’d made all the decisions for her, but ultimately she would need to make the final decision.
A servant from Dragonsreach was sent to fetch the child. She was out playing on the streets of Whiterun like usual, her mother said. We waited for a bit until the servant returned ushering Mila into the room.
That was the first time I’d taken a good look at her. She was so adorable, her eyes looking around curiously, taking in the unfamiliar environment.
It must have been intimidating for her, but we did our best to help her understand the situation. No doubt the girl was in a considerable amount of shock. What kid wouldn’t be after seeing a dragon after all? But we were able to convey the importance of the graybeard’s call and what we must do. She was scared at the prospect of facing a long journey, but like her mother, decided I could be trusted to protect her.
At the end of our conversation, there was one detail I wanted to iron out. But first, I don’t think I accurately conveyed my particular interest in young Mila just yet. Sure, she seems like a nice kid. I suppose any average adult would agree. As for myself however, I have a deep desire to pull her close to me, rip off her dress and start fucking her like a common whore. If I could have gotten away with it, I would have grabbed a hold of her in the middle of Balgruuf’s dining hall and started fucking her right on the table. But alas, I don’t want to hurt the girl. My intentions here are purely to protect her. That’s not to say the thought of traveling alone with a little girl wasn’t the first thing on my mind as I made my final point.
Carlotta had expressed that it was important to her that she too travel to High Hrothgar. Mila herself hadn’t yet considered the prospect her mother wouldn’t go with us. But Carlotta is anything but a fighter. She wouldn’t last a minute against a group of bandits and would only become their plaything, doing the things to her that all the men in Whiterun dream about. I can protect a little girl just fine. We can take one horse, ride hard and she can easily hide if danger arises.
There’s no telling what will come after us in the dangerous lands of Skyrim and a lone mercenary with two women traveling alone are a Bandit’s wet dream. I can easily defend one person against an attack, but traveling with three makes things much more difficult. Indeed, it is a valid concern and I made my case for traveling along with the girl. But I must admit the idea of traveling with a little girl excites me more than anything.
Carlotta is very protective and while I didn’t convince her in the slightest, the Jarl and Iraleth both sided with me. Jarl Balgruuf stressed that this mission is of the utmost importance and may very well be the one thing that can save us from the dragons. We couldn’t afford to take her with us. Indeed, two can slip by bandits and wild beasts in Skyrim much more easily without being detected. And when needed, I would only have one person to defend. The Jarl also pointed out that her food stand which feeds half the city is of vital importance to Whiterun.
After a few minutes of back and forth, Carlotta took Mila aside and they talked alone briefly. When they returned, to my surprise it was Mila who said her mother would be staying behind. She of course wanted her mother to come along, but I guess something about our explanation of the importance of our task had gotten through to her. She may be young, but she understands that we can’t endanger this mission for anything.
Now that it’s been settled, we’re leaving at the end of the week. In the mean time, I’ll take some time to train with the guards here at the castle and take it easy. Mila will be given some self defense training from Iraleth herself. As for Proventus, no doubt he’ll keep giving the Jarl terrible advice that he promptly ignores. The only good thing he did today was uncharacteristically keep his mouth shut during most of our meeting. I’d half expected him to pipe up and tell Carlotta she should come with us at any cost.
My cock is twitching at the thought that I’ll be traveling alone with Mila. No doubt I’ll get many opportunities to rub up against her on horseback. I don’t see it getting much beyond that and taking a few liberties with my hands when I get the chance, but nevertheless I am looking forward to the day we depart.
Last Seed, 25th, 4E 201
While I’m mostly just biding my time here in Whiterun until Mila is ready to head to High Hrothgar, I did take the opportunity to do Carlotta a little favor. While I fancy her daughter much more, there’s no denying Carlotta is quite attractive. Naturally, this isn’t lost on any man in Whiterun. One in particular was giving her trouble, though; the Bard at the Bannered Mare named Mikael. Apparently he had grown to calling out to her in public and trying to chat her up. She said he’d frequently start bragging to anyone who would listen that he was going to fuck her like a raging orc in heat. More recently, he’d even taken to smacking her ass as she walked by and calling her his little Imperial slut. She started explaining to me that some days he would try to be sweet and friendly, while other days he would be rude and nasty. Carlotta wasn’t confident I could do much about it, but I assured her I would try.
Indeed, I walked into the Bannered Mare earlier this evening while he was performing, “Ragnar the Red”, I’ve never liked that song. I walked right up to him grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him down to the floor, interrupting him and ending that wretched song early. I quickly drew my dagger all in the same motion and he was suddenly fearing for his life, begging me to let him go. A few of the other patrons stood up and put a hand to their weapons, but they didn’t try to stop me when I started to speak. I told the fool that I’d better not hear about him hassling Carlotta ever again or he’d have me to answer to. He sheepishly agreed to leave her alone and I stood up, sheathing my weapon. When the man started to get up, I made sure to shove him back to the ground just for good measure. The bastard deserved it.
Carlotta was surprised when I told her he wouldn’t be a problem any longer and wanted to pay me for it. I told her not to worry about it, but when she told me to use the gold for our journey, I couldn’t exactly say no. I told her I was happy to help. There’s no doubt a guy like that would try to take advantage of the fact her daughter was away and see it as a chance to finally get with her. Who knows, he might have even decided to force the matter. At least now he knows he’ll regret it if he tries. Maybe I’ll slip a few gold to that big warrior who hangs out at the Inn to keep an eye on him for me.
Yeah, I'll definitely have to do that.
Last Seed, 29th, 4E 201
This is my last journal entry from Whiterun. Tomorrow morning, Mila and I will be on the road. From my room at Dragonsreach, I can clearly see the mountain we have to climb to get to High Hrothgar off in the distance. It's actually not far from Whiterun at all. The trouble is, the only path to the top is at the other side of the mountain. It will take several days to reach the town of Ivarstead, which is the place to stop for anyone making a pilgrimage to the temple. I'm not looking forward to the bandits we're bound to meet on the road, but I'm hoping we'll be able to slip by most of them and any of Skyrim's larger dangers on the road.
In the last few days, Iraleth has been giving Mila a crash course in self defense. She's a great teacher and was able to impart at least some of the basics. Mila's skills are crude but they'll at least give her a fighting chance if it comes to that.
Mila is so sweet an innocent. She's been around her mother these past few days, but I also made it a point to spend time with them. I know Mila already trusts me from saving her life, but we're going to be traveling together, so I thought it was important to make sure she feel's comfortable around me. I'm sure it helped both her and her mother to feel better about such a stressful situation. As for myself, the more time I spend around that girl the more I want to start putting my hand up her skirt. Just today, I was eating lunch with her out on the steps by the market and she shuffled closer to me and brushed up against my arm. It almost seemed like an enchantment had been placed on her skin because I was hard instantly. Obviously, we'll be in close quarters on the road. I know that these urges are only going to get stronger and honestly—I'm looking forward to it.